iBetrayal
by coiwy1
Summary: Carly and Sam are in the hospital with broken bones. It's hard to believe it all started only a few days before over something so petty... Broadly inspired by the play 'Betrayal', and also more so by the Seinfeld episode 'The Betrayal'.
1. Epilogue

Freddie walked anxiously up to the main reception desk.  
>"I'm here to see Sam Puckett," he said. He glanced around the room as the nurse tapped at her computer. Jeez, did they have to paint all the walls white? It was like being back in his first home again. If there was one thing he could say for Lewbert, it was that he didn't allow tenants to slather their apartments in glaring white paint. Or install medical machinery 'in case of emergencies'.<br>"Third floor," the nurse announced. "First door on the left, you can't miss it." Freddie nodded and made for the door.  
>"Hold on," the nurse called after him. He stopped and looked back at her. "What's in that bag?" Freddie's face twisted in embarrassment and he reached his hand into the bag to pull out a packet of ham.<br>"Sam's request," he said sheepishly. The nurse snorted and waved him on.

"Samantha, please, lie down!"  
>"But I'm <em>hungry<em>! I need to get some real food!"  
>"Really, Samantha, you're lucky your leg didn't snap in half. Any excess movement could cause-"<br>"Yeah, yeah, it's gonna hurt when I walk. I get it!"  
>"I think you're missing the reality of your situation, Samantha..."<br>Carly leaned against the wall with a sigh as she listened to Sam arguing with her doctor in the room behind her. She knew that Sam would calm down when she got some food inside her, but she was confined to her bed and Carly wasn't allowed to leave until she'd been properly examined as well. All she could do was wait for Freddie to turn up, since Spencer and Gibby had both failed to pick up their phones, and Pam Puckett was in Vegas for the second time in the month.  
>"Dude, I can handle a little pain if it'll stop my stomach rumbling..."<br>"We provided you with a meal, Samantha-"  
>"Woah, woah. <em>This<em> does not count as a meal. I wouldn't give this to my cat! This looks like something my mom made!"  
>"Whatever your opinion of hospital food, Samantha, it doesn't change the fact that your leg is in an extremely fragile state..."<br>Carly let the sound of the argument get away from her again as she heard footsteps on the stairs. She straightened up and looked over the banisters.  
>"Freddie!" she called happily. The boy waved up at her before rounding the corner and taking the last section of the staircase in three quick steps.<br>"'Can't miss it', my foot," he muttered. "This building is a labyrinth!" He spread his arms to hug Carly, but stopped as he noticed the sling around her arm. He raised an eyebrow.  
>"Ouch," he commented. "How exactly did that happen?" He frowned as he heard a scream of anguish from behind the wall. "And <em>what<em> has happened to Sam?"  
>Carly rolled her eyes.<br>"She refuses to eat hospital food and she hasn't eaten since lunch. You do the math."  
>Freddie grinned.<br>"I'm surprised she's still breathing," he laughed. He pushed open the door and slipped into the room. "Hey, Sammy. Look what your favourite guy brought for you!"  
>Carly laughed as she heard Sam begin eating furiously. Freddie emerged from the room and pulled the door shut behind him.<br>"Her leg looks pretty bad," he said, frowning. "Is she gonna be ok?"  
>"The doctor says she just needs to give it time," Carly replied with a smile. "You remember when you had your... accident?"<br>Freddie nodded with a sly smirk.  
>"Does this mean you and Sam are gonna start making out?" he teased. "Because if you do, make sure I'm in the room first..."<br>"Freddie!" Carly laughed, punching him lightly on the arm. "Keep it in your dreams. We're just gonna stay as friends."  
>Freddie let out a mock groan before his eyes lit up again.<br>"So you guys made up?" he said. "You both realised you were acting like idiots?"  
>"...yeah."<br>"And who was right?"  
>"You were."<br>"And _who_'s getting a free dinner from Sam?"  
>"You're not getting a dinner from Sam," Carly chuckled. "Since when does Sam give away food?"<br>Freddie shrugged and grinned again.  
>"Well, I'm still holding the moral high-ground over her for the next while. At least until her leg heals and she's able to chase me again." He narrowed his eyes.<br>"Shouldn't Spencer be around here? I mean, you _did_fracture your arm..."

Spencer lifted his head slowly and looked around the ward. The room was largely empty, save for an old man in the corner who seemed to be very loudly reliving World War II, although the constant references to "them darn Martians!" suggested that he was misremembering some key details of the war. Other than him, the only occupants of the room were Gibby, who was lying in the bed to his left, and Spencer himself. He glanced over at the boy.  
>"So, uh, Gibster," he said awkwardly. "How's the neck?" Gibby rolled his eyes and waved a hand.<br>"Oh, it's great," he replied sarcastically. "I've never been a big fan of seeing things that aren't directly in front of me."  
>"Fair point," Spencer muttered. "Look, I'm... I'm sorry about everything. The elevator, the balloon... the lake... But you know, you did start it. That's all I'm saying."<br>"Spencer, for the last time," Gibby cried out in frustration. "It wasn't me! It was Sam! _It's Sam's fault_!"


	2. Three Hours Earlier

"Ok, that's the third time we've come back to buy more ingredients," Spencer grumbled, lugging two full bags of food behind him. "Are you _sure _you've got everything? Because I don't wanna get back to Bushwell and then have to carry these things back here again."  
>"Yes, Spencer," Carly said, waving a dismissive hand. "And you know we only went back because you got the wrong kind of flour."<br>"How can there _be_ a wrong kind of flour?" Spencer wondered. "It's all just the same thing, when you get right down to it. Bits of... whatever." Carly smirked and turned to look at him.  
>"You don't know what it is, do you?" she laughed. Spencer pulled a face back at her.<br>"I don't need to know!" he replied. "I've got better things to do than know how to make _flour_..." He trailed off as something caught his attention down the street. Carly frowned.  
>"What?" she asked. Spencer's eyes narrowed.<br>"Gibby!" he snapped. He dropped the bags with a growl. "You can take these the rest of the way, right? Good, thanks!" Without waiting for a reply, he took off down the street after Gibby, leaving Carly to struggle with the heavy bags. She groaned.  
>"Spencer!" she shouted exasperatedly, struggling to lift them. She stopped as a small hand appeared in her field of vision and grabbed one of the bags.<br>"Need a hand?"  
>Carly looked up to see Sam smiling hopefully at her, a half-eaten Fat cake held limply by her side. Carly rolled her eyes.<br>"I'm fine, Sam," she mutttered bitterly. Sam sighed.  
>"Come on, Carls, I'm trying to make it up to you here. We had a misunderstanding. Can't we just put it behind us?"<br>"It was not a misunderstanding. _You _betrayed me!"  
>"You're being overdramatic," Sam said, watching Carly sadly. "I know I shouldn't have done it, but how was I supposed to know-"<br>"We had a deal, Sam!" Carly snapped. "We _talked_ about this. I thought after what happened last time you'd respect that!"  
>"I do!" Sam said. "But I didn't <em>know<em> that you'd- seriously, Carly, let me take those bags for you."  
>"I can handle it!" Carly insisted. She took a firm hold of the bag and lifted it off the ground as Sam watched, one eyebrow cocked. For a moment, time seemed to slow: Carly took a step back to balance the sudden shift in weight of the bag in her hands, her foot caught on a loose slab of the sidewalk, and she fell. At the same time there came the unmistakable sound of a truck barrelling down the road toward them. Sam's head whipped around and she moved instantly. In one movement she charged at her friend, her arms going around the brunette's waist as her momentum threw the two of them across the street. And then a shadow fell over them and something went... <em>crunch<em>.

Spencer darted down a side alley as Gibby turned the corner ahead of him. He was already panting for breath, but his knowledge of the area let him cut in front of Gibby as the boy reached the front of Bushwell Plaza. He flinched at the sight of Spencer leaping from behind the building, and his hands went up in front of his face.  
>"Gib.. Gibby!" Spencer gasped, breahing heavily as he tried to talk. "I wan... wanna..."<br>"Oh, no," Gibby said firmly. He edged slowly away from Spencer, his hands still raised defensively. "I'm not letting you get me again. You're taking this _way_ too far."  
>"Yeah, I... I know..." Spencer panted. "I jus-" He cut himself off with a violent cough, before leaning against the wall and letting out a short breath.<br>"Man, I am out of shape," he muttered. "Look, Gibby, you're right. I got caught up in my revenge plans, and it all got a bit crazy... look, I wanna make it up to you." He smiled weakly at the confused boy, who lowered his arms slightly. Gibby narrowed his eyes.  
>"How?" he asked. Spencer grinned and pointed down the street.<br>"There's a hotel down there, yeah? I was talking to Socko's uncle Manny - he works there, you see - and he told me that Ryan Seacrest is staying there all week!" Spencer watched as Gibby's face lit up in excitement.  
>"Really? No messing?"<br>"Really," Spencer replied. "I talked to Manny, and he said he'll take you up to his room to meet him. You know... if you wanna." Gibby glanced in the direction of the hotel before turning back and eyeing Spencer suspiciously.  
>"And you haven't booby-trapped the door, or covered the hallway with glue, or replaced Ryan Seacrest with a tiger?" he asked warily. Spencer shook his head.<br>"I swear, Gibby, that hotel is completely safe," he said, putting a hand on his chest. Gibby nodded, satisfied.  
>"Let's go then!" he urged. Spencer raised a finger.<br>"Could you just do me a favour? Run up to my apartment and just grab the envelope by the door. I owe Manny some money." Gibby shrugged and nodded, opening the door to Bushwell Plaza and strolling across the lobby as Lewbert glared at him. Spencer pushed the door open slightly and slipped in to watch as well.  
>"Into the elevator, little Gibby," he whispered with a smirk on his face. Gibby reached the elevator and pressed the 'up' button. There was a brief whirring sound before the doors slid open and a wave of water swept out of the elevator, engulfing Gibby and throwing him back across the room. Spencer let out a brief shout of elation and rushed toward the unmoving Gibby.<br>"I _gotcha_, you little-" he began gleefully. Before he could finish, he found himself slipping on the now wet floor, and he hit the ground with a loud thud.  
>"Argh, <em>chiz<em>!" he cried. Lewbert glanced over at the two injured boys and snorted.  
>"They'll be fine," he muttered to himself, before leaning back in his chair and falling asleep.<p>

_"Sam? Sam! Why isn't she saying anything? SAM!"  
>"Just give her a moment. She'll be awake any minute now."<br>_Sam groaned and her eyes flickered open. She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes to clear her blurred vision. Carly swam into focus, sitting above the blonde with her arm in a sling.  
>"Uh... hey Carls," Sam muttered. She glanced around her, trying to take in her surroundings. A bright light glared down at her from the ceiling and illuminated the white walls of the room.<br>"Wha... where..." she said slowly, flexing the muscles of her hand. Her gaze flicked back to Carly and she furrowed her brow in panic.  
>"Carly, where's my Fat Cake?" she asked desperately. Carly's eyes widened slightly at her question, and the brunette began giggling uncontrollably. Sam watched her angrily.<br>"It's not funny! I'm hungry!" she moaned.  
>"I knew you'd be ok," Carly laughed, putting a hand in front of her mouth to try and control herself. "I mean, apart from your leg, of course... sorry about that." Sam winced as her mind flashed back. Her leg had been twisted at an impossible angle and she'd almost been blinded by the pain.<br>"Frigging taco trucks," she mumbled. "It's like they've got a vendetta against you." Carly smiled weakly and sighed.  
>"I'm lucky to have you and Freddie around to help me out," she agreed. "And I... I shouldn't have got so angry with you. I overreacted and I almost lost my best friend." Sam smiled back at her and waved a dismissive hand.<br>"It's cool," she replied. "We all make mistakes. That's why pencils have erasers." She frowned as her stomach rumbled.  
>"If you <em>did <em>want to make it up to me, though, then I could really use some food around now. And I don't mean any of that chizzy hospital food. I mean _real_ food."  
>Carly smiled and stroked Sam's cheek.<br>"I'll see what I can find."  
>"I'll be waiting, cupcake."<p> 


	3. One Day Earlier

Sam stopped outside apartment 8=C and knocked on the door before leaning back against the wall and waiting. A minute passed.  
>"Oh, come <em>on<em>," she muttered to herself. She eyed the lock and briefly considered breaking her way in, but there was a time for lock-picking and now was not it. Instead she moved closer to the door.  
>"I know you're in there, Carly!" she called. She pressed her ear to the door for a moment and thought she could hear breathing.<br>"Look, Carls, if you don't wanna let me in, then fine. I get that. If it was me, I'd be just as angry as you are. More, actually, because... well, we both know what I'm like, don't we? We've known each other long enough that I can practically read your thoughts sometimes.  
>"The thing is, Carly, we both know it's not worth getting this worked up over it. It's not even the first time - hell, it's the same guy as last time, and we still haven't learned from it, no matter what we said. And with me, that's to be expected. I've never been the clever one. I spent my childhood being overshadowed by my smarter twin sister, and then I met you, and we've had that same relationship ever since. It's not a bad thing, of course. I love Melanie, and I love you too. Yeah, you sometimes make me feel dumb, or overly hostile, or whatever, but that's why we work so well together. I'm tough and I can get things done. You're the nice, friendly, smart one. And to be honest, I wouldn't expect you to blow something like this so out of proportion. You're the one who sees when I'm getting too worked up about something and tells me it's no big deal. You're like... you're my conscience. What am I meant to do when I'm competing with you, Carls? It's like I've lost part of myself.<br>"Look, I haven't come here to gloat, or to lecture you, or anything like that. I just don't think it's worth losing you over some pretty boy. I don't even care about him anymore. All I want is to get my best friend back. I've only had two days with Benson and I'm already sick of him."  
>She laughed quietly and pressed her ear to the door again.<br>"Come on, Carly. I made a mistake, and... I'm sorry. I didn't know. I just... I'm sorry." She trailed off and stood up with a sigh.  
>"If you want to make up, I'll be at the Groovy Smoothie," she called, before turning away and wandering back down the corridor. A part of her imagined that Carly would come running out of the room after her, wanting to make up and be best friends again. But she didn't. The door remained obstinately closed and the corridor remained empty, leaving Sam to trudge down the stairs on her own.<p>

Carly walked into the Bushwell Plaza lobby and was unsurprised to find Lewbert asleep on the job again. She shook her head and made her way to the elevators. A moment later, the doors opened with a _ping _and she stepped inside, pressing the button for her apartment. The doors slid shut and the room returned to a state of silence. After a few minutes, the echo of footsteps sounded and Sam came down the staircase into the lobby, her head hung low and her feet scuffing the floor. She shot a critical glance at the sleeping Lewbert before pushing open the doors and exiting onto the streets of Seattle.

Gibby strolled through Green Lake Park with a grin on his face. It was a beautiful day; he was on his way to meet Tasha; and, most importantly, he hadn't seen Spencer once. He hoped that meant the rampage of revenge was over, but of course you could never tell with Spencer. Still, Gibby was confident that he was far enough away to keep him safe for the rest of the day.  
>"Hey, cutie!" Gibby stopped in his tracks and turned his head. A girl waved to him from beside the lake, where she was sat lounging on the grass. He glanced at his watch... yeah, he had time to stop and introduce himself. He straightened his shirt slightly and made his way over to the girl, a friendly smile on his face. She stood up as he approached.<br>"Hey," he said smoothly. "I'm Gibby."  
>"Yeah, I know," she replied. "I recognised you from iCarly." She moved closer. "I always thought you were really funny."<br>Gibby nodded.  
>"I do what I can," he replied nonchalantly. "So what's your name?"<br>The girl took a step back and looked over Gibby's shoulder.  
>"You can call me... Gotcha..." she whispered. Gibby's eyes widened and he felt something ram into his back, sending him flying forward into the lake. He barely had time to hold his breath before the water engulfed him. He bobbed to the surface and gasped for air.<br>"HA!"  
>He looked back the girl, who was now joined by Spencer. Both wore grins of triumph on their faces. Gibby groaned and pulled himself back to the edge of the lake as Spencer and the girl high-fived each other.<br>"Thanks for the help," Spencer said. "Oh, and say hi to Socko from me." The girl nodded and turned away, pausing only to wave mockingly at Gibby before setting off down the path at a run. Spencer, meanwhile, was watching the boy as he emerged from the water.  
>"How does it feel, huh?" he asked. "Bet you wish you'd been a bit more respectful of other people's stuff, huh?" Gibby didn't reply, but rather ignored him and began trudging away, leaving a trail of water as he did so.<br>"I told you I'd get revenge!" Spencer shouted after him. "I told you!"


	4. Two Days Earlier

Carly glanced at her PearPhone. The clock said 17:57, and Freddie's text had said to meet him at six o'clock, so she was in good time. Up ahead, she could see the exterior of the Groovy Smoothie. Ok, all that was left was to run a hand through her hair, check in a window to see she looked good, and- bump into Sam?  
>Carly's eyes narrowed as the blonde took a step back and smiled weakly at her.<br>"Uh, hey," Sam said slowly. "What are you doing here?"  
>"I'm here to meet Freddie," Carly replied tersely. "Unless you want to steal <em>him<em> from me as well."  
>Sam groaned and rolled her eyes.<br>"Yeah, ok, I get it. You're upset. Can we let it drop now?"  
>"No!" Carly snapped. "We had a deal, Sam. <em>You<em> betrayed me!"  
>"And again with the 'betrayed'..." Sam muttered. "It's not that big a deal, cupcake."<br>"Don't you '_cupcake'_ me!" Carly replied. "You betrayed my trust, Sam. You can't just brush that under the carpet."  
>"I didn't mean to!" Sam insisted. "No-one told me it was a no-go, so I assumed I was still fine..."<br>"Oh yeah, of _course_ you didn't know," Carly growled. "Convenient, isn't it?"  
>Sam growled back and turned away from the brunette as Freddie came running up to the pair, panting slightly.<br>"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late, I got held up with..." He cut himself off and glanced between them. "Have you been arguing about it again?"  
>Carly nodded silently and Freddie let out a breath through his teeth.<br>"Look, guys, you've been through this whole routine before," he said. "And you got over it then. Can you _please_ just skip ahead so we can get everything back to normal?"  
>"No!" Carly replied. "Sam refuses to admit that she was wrong. I'm not gonna be friends with her if she keeps insisting she was right."<br>"And I'm not gonna be friends with _her_ if she keeps insisting I was wrong!" Sam replied quickly. Freddie groaned.  
>"Guys, I brought you here to make up, not to fight. Sam made a mistake, and she's sorry. Aren't you, Sam?" He glared at her and she shrugged.<br>"I guess."  
>"And Carly accepts that she couldn't have expected Sam to know everything that had happened. Don't you, Carly?" He turned his glare on her and she shuffled her foot.<br>"I... I guess."  
>"Ok, good!" Freddie stepped back and threw his hands up. "Now make up!"<br>The girls each took a reluctant step forward.  
>"I'm sorry, Sam," Carly muttered. "I overreacted, and I shouldn't have." Sam nodded.<br>"That's ok, Carls," she replied. "I forgive you." Carly's eyes narrowed and she looked at Freddie.  
>"Right, that does not cover it," she said. "Where's my apology?"<br>"It was a _mistake_!" Sam replied. "I shouldn't have to apologise if I didn't do it on purpose!"  
>"Well in that case, I take it back!" Carly growled. She turned around and stalked back down the street as Sam glared after her.<br>"Like I care!" she shouted, before turning around and leaving as well. Freddie stood where he was, his eyes still flicking between the two girls.  
>"Oh, come <em>on<em>!" he moaned.

Gibby walked out of his front door and set off down the street in a newly-ironed shirt. He patted down his hair - it was still slightly damp, but not noticeably to the naked eye, and that was good enough for him. His eyes kept darting around as he walked, just in case Spencer was around, but he saw no sign. Good. The only person he saw was an old man watering his garden, but apart from that the street was empty. Suddenly, he stopped as realisation dawned on him.  
>"Oh!" he said aloud. "Don't come <em>running<em> to me... ha!" A smile on his face, he continued on his way again. Spencer was probably satisfied by now, so he had no need to worry about any-  
>"Ahh!"<br>Gibby cried out as the old man sprayed him with his hose and sent him crashing to the floor in a growing pool of water. As he spluttered, the old man stepped forward and pulled off his wig.  
>"Oh, for the love of-" Gibby began, before getting a mouthful of water to cut him off. Spencer threw his wig on the ground and switched off the hose.<br>"Thought it was over, Gibby?" he laughed. "Well _think again_! It's only just beginning!"  
>"You disguised yourself?" Gibby asked in slight disbelief. Spencer grinned.<br>"With a little help from Socko's wig making cousin Harry!" he announced triumphantly. Gibby glanced down at his soaking wet clothes and sighed.  
>"Right. Great." He stood up and glared at Spencer. "Now please, <em>leave me alone<em>!"


End file.
